STAFF

Matt Krebs
Executive Director

Matt Krebs enjoys facilitating meaningful Japan experiences for others in Boston. He was previously the director of the Japan/America Society of Kentucky where he established the JAPAN Summer Festival and the Kentucky/Japan Relief Fund, hosted the Manjiro/Whitfield Exchange Program, and expanded other programs and partnerships. In recent years, Krebs has been a technology industry analyst while pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology focused on technology in Japan. Krebs has lived in Japan at different times in his life and built cross-industry relationships in business, academic, diplomatic, and civic sectors.

Jessie Berlingo
Communications Manager

Jessie Berlingo joined Japan Society of Boston as the Communications Manager in January of 2017. Prior to that, she worked as a Client Solutions Coordinator with additional design responsibilities at CFS, Inc. in Norton, Massachusetts. A New England local, Jessie studied Japanese in Nagoya from 2010-2011, with additional points of study in sadou and sumie. She holds a bachelor's degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Yuko Handa
Operations Manager

Yuko Handa joined Japan Society of Boston as the Operations Manager in July of 2017. Born and raised in Japan but going to an international school in Yokohama, she spent her childhood in between cultures. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Yuko returned to Japan where she worked as a sales engineer for an American semiconductor company. Her life journey brought her back to the US in 2005, and she has been a New Englander ever since.

Spencer ThurlowMembership Manager

Spencer Thurlow joined Japan Society of Boston as Membership Manager in
October 2017 after spending 3 1/2 years in Kochi City, Japan, managing
study abroad programs and teaching English at a local private English
school. He has a background in development, business development,
management and consulting. Spencer also recently co-translated Sonic
Peace, a book of contemporary poetry by Kiriu Minashita that was
published in Dec. 2017.

Honoka Kitaura
Operations Assistant

Honoka Kitaura joined Japan Society of Boston as an intern in October of
2017. Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, she is a senior student at Osaka
University studying international relationships.